The Island on the Edge of Forever (The Epic of Aravinda Book 2) (15 page)

I wonder if I should have been more open. But back then it felt like it was all going so fast, and now I can’t get him out of my mind. And what if he doesn’t make it back? What if I never see him again?

A wave of sadness washed over Asha.

No. Must focus on breath.

Asha pulled her attention back to her breath and the touch of it on her nostrils. She sat there in silence for some time, determined to keep her mind focused and positive.

Light grew around her, clearly visible even though her eyes were closed. Was this what happened after you meditated long enough? Did everything turn to light? The light beyond her eyelids continued to brighten until she felt a palpable warmth on them. It felt like the sun. Peace washed over her, and even though her focus had wavered during the meditation, she still felt better than before.

“Perhaps,” a voice whispered, “the Infinite will bring us together again in the future.” The words were so faint that it was if the wind itself were speaking.

“Lakshmi?” Asha whispered. “Can I open my eyes now?”

She waited for a few moments, but there was no response. After a few more moments, she said it again. Still, there was no response. She peeked.

With great surprise, Asha noticed that there was no trace of her whatsoever. She opened her eyes wide and noticed the morning sun peeking behind a layer of clouds above the forest. Still, there was no sign of Lakshmi, at all.

“Lakshmi?” she called out. “Where are you?”

She studied the ground where she had sat, but it was as if no one had ever been there. She retraced the path and called again. Still, there was no sign of her, and no response. In the middle of checking her wristcomm, her stomach growled.

“Another disappearance. Why?”

Her stomach’s complaints grew louder, so she walked back over to the stone seat and pulled out the bread from her pocket. A nutty, fruity taste filled her mouth, and she savored every bite.

Below, she could hear the birds singing a morning song, and as she listened and ate, her mind returned to thoughts of Zahn.

He said I was terrified to get close. Was he right?

Asha reflected on their conversation, perhaps the last conversation they would ever have. She recalled how he challenged her to tell him he was wrong, that she wasn’t afraid. Why had she called him an idiot? Why had she allowed her mind to become unbalanced and insult him like that? And she’d called him blind.

Asha studied the soft texture of the bread.

“Why do I say those things? Why do I lose consciousness of my emotional state and lash out? Perhaps meditating more will help. Maybe I need to bring it all to the surface.”

The wind whistled through the rocks, and Asha wondered if it was the mountain’s way of agreeing with her words.

“I’ve come too far to stop now.” She scanned the area. “Now what did she say? Something about a narrow path and a bordering forest. Doesn’t sound too hard.”

Asha wrapped up the sea-green bread, stuffed it back into her jacket pocket, and stood up. The image of Mira filled her mind.

“Hold on, Mira. Hold on.”

CHAPTER
24

BEWARE OF THE GHOSTS

Sparks of amber light showered down to the glowing nucleus below, and a look of determination filled Zahn’s face.

“Almost…”

More amber sparks shot out from the welding gun that Zahn was holding, and he chuckled to himself as he set it down onto the cable mesh nearby.

Zahn replaced the circuit cover and glanced over to the small, birdlike creature that was perched on a nearby cord. “Okay, jagrul. Wish us luck.”

Without a second thought, he swung himself down off the cable and landed on his feet.

The nucleus hung about a meter above his head, and familiar sparks of green and purple light spiraled within its core.

“Please,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “I need Navika’s help. Please, just let this work.”

He opened his eyes and gazed into the nucleus.

“Navika?”

Silence.

“Navika, please hear me. The jagrul and I reconnected the damaged fragments. Please, Navika. Please be all right.”

Inside the sphere, a few flecks of orange light flew around faster now, and a humming sound grew.

“I left Avani without asking you. And I know that, in your damaged state, you couldn’t have stopped me if you wanted to.” He sat down on the floor below the nucleus and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that must have been like, but I hope you realize why I did it.”

The humming sound died away, and another pregnant silence filled the room.

“Look, I’m not sure if you were able to see what happened in the garden bay, but the Radiant Figure came back. He told me about a place called Vaari, that going there could turn the tide of this war. That’s why we’re surrounded by ice now. We’re here. It’s a cold, unforgiving place, but the Radiant One left directions in your memory. I followed them. The jumps took us thousands of light-years, and we arrived here a while ago. Since then, we’ve been working on you, the jagrul and I.” Zahn sighed. “We need you. The waypoint that the Radiant One placed in your memory leads us deep underground, and we have no idea what to expect. I’m sorry it happened like this. I hope you can forgive me.”

Zahn and the jagrul stared into the faintly glowing orb for some time, until a rumbling noise echoed all around them. The rumble transformed itself into a low humming that grew higher and higher, until it sounded like a person speaking underwater. The sound continued to transform until Zahn thought he could make out words.

“Yon ma eem tinay.”

“What?” Zahn stood up in confusion.

“Yon ma eem tinay eb ei gorfiv yon.”

“Navika! Is that you?”

“Yoouuuu—” Navika’s voice cut off, still confoundingly distorted. He spoke again. “You may be tiny, but I forgive you.”

“Navika!” Zahn jumped up and tried to touch the bottom of his nucleus, just grazing its smooth surface with his index finger. “You’re alive!”

“Amlim.” Navika’s voice distorted again. “Un moment. Recalli.” Navika made a thumping sound. “Brayling.”

Orange, green, and purple flecks of light spun around the nucleus at a furious pace.

“Navika, what’s wrong? You sound strange.”

“Alive. Yes.” Navika made a descending hum and took on a depressive tone. “You stole me, Zahn. How can I trust you?”

“I — yes, of course you can trust me. And didn’t you just say you forgave me?”

Navika’s tone dropped. “To forgive does not imply trust. I may release my bitterness toward your actions, but my trust in you is based off of the sum total of your conduct, Avanian.”

“You’re speaking strangely again. Look, I’m sorry. But I took you for a good reason. Asha was really concerned about the people living near Outpost 33. With her and her father settling in on Avani, I wanted to solve the problem once and for all. You know, so we could focus on the Vakragha.”

The jagrul bird whistled a short ditty.

“Do not underestimate me, Zahn. You
used
me to encourage Asha to stay on Avani. I know your thoughts. Even before our last mission was over, you have wanted her to live on Avani; and in this case, while your actions in the Outpost Ring may have served others, your motives were self-serving.” Another deep hum. “Do you deny it?”

Zahn found himself breathing heavily, as if a great weight were on his back.

“How many times do I have to apologize? I didn’t know what to do.” He looked down to his feet. “Navika, in all my life I’ve never met anyone like her. I had to do something.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry if it was the wrong thing.” He looked back up to Navika’s nucleus hanging high above him. “I want to earn your trust back, Navika. How can I do that?”

The jagrul whistled a sad note, and Zahn glared back to it.

“Simply follow the Code and my directives, nothing more.”

“No problem,” Zahn said.

“It is in your best interest to do so. Concordantly, it seems that you are right. We are on an ancient world. For the past few minutes, I have been in contact with the Confederation Council on Amithya. Apparently, Vaari is one of the five original Wellsprings of Life in this galaxy. I do not pretend to know the Radiant One’s motives, but the Confederation has been searching for this planet for some time.”

“Whoa. So what else can you tell me?”

“That is all you need know. We shall proceed to the waypoint the Radiant One indicated. The Confederation has minimal knowledge of this world, and we are instructed to gather as much information as possible while maintaining complete nonintervention as per Spacefarer Code. Is this clear to you?”

“Yes.”

“Then proceed to the command bay and await instructions.”

As Zahn walked into the command bay, the jagrul flew over his head and landed down by the passenger bench.

Ahead, a sweeping formation of turquoise ice covered the side of the mountain, blocking their path. To either side were more rocky peaks, also predominantly covered in a thick layer of ice; and behind him was an expansive ice field that stretched on to the horizon, dotted only by a few outcroppings of pale rock.

“Prepare yourself, Zahn.”

To Zahn’s surprise, he found that he had missed hearing Navika’s voice within his mind, and he sat down in the command chair with a newfound sense of adventure. Navika shot a soft beam of violet plasma onto the wall of ice. He kept the intensity low, aiming to melt away the ice gradually to reduce the risk of avalanche. Soon, the ship had carved a triangular-shaped hole into the ice, revealing a dark cave; and they slid into the darkness without a sound.

Instead of using illumination, Navika opted to use covert imaging techniques to give Zahn an idea of the shapes ahead, without using any light at all. Ghostly images filled his mind, crouching in the shadows and hanging like bodies from the ceiling. He had to remind himself that none of this was alive. Navika had assured him that they were all geological formations, and he watched as Navika navigated the complex inner structure of the cave as it angled downward. They were heading deep, and Zahn noticed they were now just 200 meters from the waypoint.

“We have no way of knowing what we’re about to discover. Please do not leave the ship until I have ascertained the situation.”

“Of course. Don’t worry, Navika.”

“If you’d experienced all that I have, you may not be so optimistic.”

The cave turned, and they came to a large boulder, giving Navika barely enough space to fly above it silently without hitting the cave ceiling.

The tunnel curved back to the right and opened up into an expansive chamber.

Zahn’s eyes grew wide. In the center was a circular dais with an intricate design carved into the floor. Surrounding it were more tunnels that led off into other directions, and over the center of the circular platform, the hologram of Navika’s waypoint marker hovered in a clean silence.

“So
this
is where the Radiant One wanted us to go. But why here? Looks like a crossroads.”

Just as Zahn finished speaking, the center of the platform lit up, illuminating the fact that the carving on the floor was actually a huge geometric shape with twenty points. The geometry had a sacred quality to it, and the central light spread out until it bolted off down one of the tunnels, leaving a perfectly-straight line of blue light on the floor.

“Whoa! Navika, I think we should—”

“I already broadcast your DNA, Zahn, and it seems that we are welcomed here.”

Navika sped onward, down the illuminated path; and as they passed into the new tunnel, Zahn looked up and noticed tiny points of light on the ceiling, glowing like stars.

After a few seconds, the tunnel led down steeply, and they followed it for some time until it opened up into another chamber, smaller than the first. This room had clear windows that stretched up to the ceiling and spanned the far wall, and when he saw what was beyond them, he could scarcely believe his eyes.

Through the expansive windows, he could see a black whale-like creature glide by.

But how was that possible? Was there a sea below the ice field? And who created these windows in the first place?

The curving architecture seemed almost organic, as if a chemical reaction had created their transparent structure long ago. The view was so beautiful that it took Zahn a moment before he noticed the huge, amber octahedron that was hovering near to the floor beside a wide oval table, inlaid with hundreds of small gems.

When he saw it, words left him.

“Fascinating. It appears identical to a crystal I scanned on the planet Aarava in our last adventure, except this one isn’t dormant.”

“Yeah,” he managed to say. “That’s right. You never met her, did you? Set down here, Navika. She’s a friend. I think.”

“Indeed, the entity and I have been communicating since we entered this room. She communicates almost as quickly as I do.”

“Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“She welcomes us to Vaari and says—”

He waited for Navika to continue, but the words just hung there, echoing within his mind. Navika rarely stopped in mid-sentence, if ever.

Then Zahn felt a most bizarre sensation. It was as if his mind were being refreshed by a chill breeze.

“Hello again, wandering traveller.”
The voice was feminine and more eloquent than Navika’s.

Zahn swallowed. It was her.

“Vayuna? Is it really you? I must admit, I’m pretty surprised to see you here.”

“Did I not tell you back on Aarava that Vayuna also wishes to explore? And Vayuna must. It is pertinent to her current mission.”

“You got here by using the gates, didn’t you? But what mission? How did you find out about this place?”

“Ah, traveller. You are so full of questions, and Vayuna appreciates this. By asking the right questions and listening for the answers, much wisdom can be gained. Vayuna is ascertaining probable outcomes of the Vakragha conflict through observation of various focal points. Vayuna has been here for some time and nears a conclusion.”

“A conclusion? To what?”

“On who will prevail in this Galactic Conflict, of course.”

“Vayuna, that’s not even a question worth thinking about. The Confederation
will
prevail. We must. If we don’t, every star system in this galaxy will be enslaved by the Vakragha Dominion, and freedom will become a long forgotten relic.” Zahn shook his head. “Life will become pure suffering, Vayuna.”

“Vayuna has been observing and sees this possibility.”

“Well, why don’t you help then? Why just observe? Who do you think you are to just sit back and watch, anyway?”

Vayuna’s octahedral shape grew a darker shade of amber.

“Vayuna is a potentiator and must come to a conclusion on which path will promote the most growth in this galaxy. It is Vayuna’s purpose not to interfere unless that balance is clearly unproductive.”

“And who gave you that purpose?”

“Vayuna’s designers, of course.”

“Is that why everyone on Aarava called you a Mind of the Visionaries? I remember that’s how you signed that little book Oonak found.”

“That is Vayuna’s title given by her designers, yes.”

“Wait a minute. Designers?” Zahn blinked. “Of course! You’re an artificial intelligence construct, aren’t you? People have been talking about artificial intelligence on Avani for generations, but no one has been able to create one that could truly learn and grow on its own.”

“Your language is limited, Avanian. There is nothing artificial about Vayuna. Within Vayuna is a consciousness core with components on the molecular scale. Combined with a telepathic interface, Vayuna was optimized to facilitate deeper, more peaceful communication between her people. Vayuna is proud of her heritage. Indeed, when Vayuna was first activated, her entire world celebrated the creation of the first constructed, self-aware entity.”

“Wait a minute. I want to be sure I understand this. You do
not
contain a consciousness that was once in another form, like in Navika’s case? You were constructed? No original life form?”

“
I am as different from Navika as you are from me. And I was designed for a purpose.”

“Which is facilitation, right?”

“Facilitation, education, and harmonization, yes.”

“Whoa.” Zahn massaged his temples as he considered this. Any scientist on Avani would give their left arm to be in his situation. “So, where were you made, Vayuna? Can you tell me?”

“Vayuna’s birthplace is not hidden. Deep within the fourth band of the eastern spiral arm, there is the world of Tavisi. It once birthed the most brilliant minds in the galaxy, wielding devices as powerful as the Vakragha, but now the Visionaries have turned inwardly and exist in constructed worlds of pure mind.”

“Worlds of pure mind? Sounds like a place worth visiting.”

“Vayuna questions their actions and has concerns, their growing xenophobic nature, for example. But there are more pressing matters to discuss, traveller. Vayuna has been examining this world for some time, and this chamber was once home to an ancient council, similar to the Amithya Council you visited. It is possible that fragments of this old council may be hidden within objects on this island. Be vigilant of any objects which seem to be more than they appear.”